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Nico Harrison press conference: Mavericks GM speaks on Luka Doncic trade, 'Fire Nico' chants in end-of-season availability

Daniel Mader

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Nico Harrison press conference: Mavericks GM speaks on Luka Doncic trade, 'Fire Nico' chants in end-of-season availability image

The Mavericks' 2024-25 season ended in disappointment.

After a run to the NBA Finals last season, the hope was that Dallas could take the next step, securing a title behind stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Instead, the team drastically changed in the blink of an eye in February, as Doncic was sent to the Lakers while Anthony Davis joined the Mavericks.

At full health, perhaps the Mavericks would have still been capable of a deep playoff run. But bad injury luck also struck Dallas this season; Davis missed an extensive period after the trade, while Irving tore his ACL and is out for the long term. The complete re-design of the roster and injuries left the Mavericks limping into the Play-In Tournament at 39-43, where they lost to Memphis and ended their season.

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Since February, general manager Nico Harrison has been one of the biggest stories in the league, with many fans questioning his decision-making in trading Doncic, still young and an offensive superstar. He's stuck by his choice through-and-through despite heavy criticism from Dallas' fanbase, but had previously spoken about the trade in private, for the most part.

On Monday, Harrison addressed the media to conclude the Mavericks' rollercoaster 2024-25 season. He answered questions about the Doncic trade, the fanbase's "outrage" over it, his expectations to field a title-contending roster in 2025-26, and more.

The Sporting News tracked live updates from Harrison's season-ending press conference. Here's what Dallas' general manager had to say entering his team's offseason. 

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Nico Harrison press conference live updates

(All times ET)

2:39 p.m. — Harrison said if you don't "value AD" and his defense, then it's hard to like the trade, but he and the team value Davis's talents.

2:36 p.m. — Asked about Doncic's comments about wanting to leave the trade in the past, Harrison said he feels "the same way," claiming he's never spoken ill of Doncic.

2:33 p.m. — Harrison clarified his earlier comments about the fans' reactions to losing Doncic:

"I did see the outrage, just maybe not to a degree of that it actually ended up being. But I also think part of that is because we weren't able to put a team on the floor that was day in and day out winning."

2:32 p.m. — Harrison said his conversation with Jason Kidd after the trade was "really brief" and he knew Kidd was a fan of Davis and his defensive abilities. Asked if Kidd agreed about the trade, Harrison said he doesn't think it was about agreeing and Kidd rather was ready to go with his players.

2:30 p.m. — With Irving out to begin the 2025-26 season, Harrison said he trusts a "deep, versatile bench" to fill his void in shot-creating, and they'll add players in free agency and the draft as well.

2:28 p.m. — Harrison said he expects to have Kyrie Irving back next year when he's healed, and that Irving being an important piece won't change whether he opts into his player option or out. Harrison added that he thinks his core is connected for the next 2-3 seasons.

2:25 p.m. — "I think the team that we're bringing back is a championship-caliber team," Harrison said. 

2:22 p.m. — Harrison said he has felt the negativity from the fanbase, but his faith and support group is helping him get through it. 

"My job is to make decisions that I feel are in the best interest of this organization, and I gotta stand by the decision. Some of them are going to be unpopular, and this is clearly one that's unpopular," Harrison said. 

2:21 p.m. — Asked about his relationship with Jason Kidd after the trade, Harrison said he brought him into the light on the Doncic trade late because it's his responsibility to coach the team in front of him. 

2:20 p.m. — Harrison said he was not told to trade Doncic by ownership.

2:17 p.m. — "I did know that Luka was important to the fanbase. I didn't quite know it to [this]," Harrison said of what Luka Doncic meant to Mavericks' fans. He added that winning at a high level would have quieted some anger, but that couldn't happen with the injuries late in the season.

2:16 p.m. — Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively will likely not need surgery this summer, Harrison said. 

2:14 p.m. — Asked about the "roundtable discussion" where no cameras or mics were allowed with reporters last week, Harrison said it "didn't have the goal that we intended," and that's why he's answering questions today in-person. 

"Because we haven't adequately answered the questions, we figured we would open it up as well right now," Harrison said. 

2:13 p.m. — Harrison said in order to repair the relationship with the fans, he thinks winning more next season will accomplish that. 

"I'm an optimistic person," Harrison said. 

2:11 p.m. — Harrison called it an "unfair question" on whether or not Luka Doncic is a championship-caliber player.

2:09 p.m. — Harrison has heard plenty of "Fire Nico" chants while attending Mavericks games lately. Asked about those chants and why he shouldn't be fired, he said "I think I've done a really good job here, and I don't think I can be judged by the injuries this year."

"You'll see next year when our team comes back, we're going to be competing for a championship," Harrison said.

2:08 p.m. — Asked about the Luka Doncic trade and whether they discussed Anthony Davis being more injury prone, Harrison said "we discussed everything," and "defense is our calling card," which is why they wanted Davis.

2:06 p.m. — Harrison said he could have handled last week's private meeting with reporters better, but the team's vision was to talk after it had a lineup of Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, PJ Washington, Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively on the floor, which never happened.

"There was never a good time for us to do that," Harrison said. 

2:04 p.m. — "Every decision we make this year will be through the lens of competing to win, and our goal is to bring a championship back to Dallas," Harrison said to conclude his opening statement.

2:03 p.m. — Harrison said that injuries "depleted our roster" this season from the start, but the staff's optimism is a strong sign for 2025-26. He stuck by his "defense wins championships" idea, saying the Mavericks will return one of the best front lines next season along with a versatile bench.

2:01 p.m. — Harrison said the players this season embodied a "next man up" mentality, and played "inspiring basketball."

1:54 p.m. — Harrison's presser will begin shortly. Earlier today, ESPN released a story that detailed Harrison firing Casey Smith, Dallas' director of health and performance, which Harrison said is "kind of a joke" to bring up now. The story also detailed the rift between Doncic's camp and Harrison, along with the general manager's decision making altering the team's other health and performance employees.

When is Nico Harrison's press conference?

As many NBA teams do at the end of a season, Harrison will meet with the media at 2 p.m. ET on Monday. 

The general manager has rarely spoken since the shocking Doncic-Davis deal in February. He released a statement on the trade after it was finalized, saying "defense wins championships," and earlier in April, Harrison met with reporters in a highly private capacity, allowing no cameras or microphones. He stuck by his decision then, saying he has "no regrets" about the deal.

Monday's press conference will give Harrison an opportunity to speak on everything from the Doncic trade or Irving's injury to his offseason agenda for the Mavericks.

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How to watch Nico Harrison press conference today

Various Dallas news outlets should be streaming Harrison's press conference. Fox 4 KDFW announced it would stream the press conference here, or on its YouTube page. WFAA also announced it would be streaming the press conference.

Daniel Mader

Daniel Mader joined Sporting News as an editorial intern in 2024 following his graduation from Penn State University. Previously, he covered Penn State, high school and local sports beats for NBC Sports, the Centre Daily Times, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Daily Collegian and LancasterOnline. He grew up in Lancaster, Penn., with a love for baseball that’ll never fade, but could also talk basketball or football for days.